Structural Analysis of Testicular Appendices in Patients with Cryptorchidism ______Guilherme D
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ORIGINAL ARTICLE Vol. 39 (2): 240-247, March - April, 2013 doi: 10.1590/S1677-5538.IBJU.2013.02.13 Structural analysis of testicular appendices in patients with cryptorchidism _______________________________________________ Guilherme D. Tostes, Suelen F. Costa, João P. de Carvalho, Waldemar S. Costa, Francisco J.B. Sampaio, Luciano A. Favorito Urogenital Research Unit, Rio de Janeiro State University, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil ABSTRACT ARTICLE INFO _________________________________________________________ ___________________ Objectives: Report the incidence and structure of testicular appendices (TAs) in patients Key words: with cryptorchidism, comparing their incidence with epididymal anomalies (EA) and pa- Cryptorchidism; anatomy tency of the vaginal process (PVP) and analyzes the structure of TAs. and histology; Epididymis; Material and Methods: We studied 72 testes of patients with cryptorchidism (average of abnormalities 6 years), and 8 testes from patients with hydroceles (average of 9 years). We analyzed the relations among the testis, epididymis and PVP and prevalence and histology of the TAs. Int Braz J Urol. 2013; 39: 240-7 The appendices of 10 patients with cryptorchidism and 8 with hydrocele were dissected __________________ and embedded in paraffin and stained with Masson trichrome; Weigert and Picro-Sirius Red with polarization and immunohistochemistry analysis of the collagen type III fibers Submitted for publication: to observe collagen. The stereological analysis was done with the software Image Pro October 03, 2012 and Image J, using a grid to determine volumetric densities (Vv). Means were statistically __________________ compared using the ANOVA and unpaired T test (p < 0.05). Results: Of the 72 testes with cryptorchidism, 20 (27.77%) presented EA, 41 (56.9%) Accepted after revision: had PVP and 44 (61.1%) had TAs. Of the 44 testes with cryptorchidism and appendices, January 10, 2013 30 (68.18%) presented PVP and 11 (25%) presented EA. There was no alteration of the epithelium in the appendices of patients in both groups. Stereological analysis documen- ted the prevalence of ESFs (mean of 1.48%), prevalence of veins (mean of 10.11%) and decrease (p = 0.14) of SMCs in the TAs of patients with cryptorchidism (mean = 4.93%). Collagen III prevailed in the TAs of patients with cryptorchidism. Conclusion: The testicular appendices presented significant structural alteration in the patients with cryptorchidism, indicating that TAs present a structural remodeling. INTRODUCTION the most frequently twisted of the four testicular appendages (3-5). The other are the appendix of Testicular and epididymal appendices have the epididymis, which is a remnant of the wolffian been considered congenital anomalies (1). The duct, the paradidymis and the vas aberrant. These appendix testis or hydatid of Morgagni is believed vestigial structures have a similar histology, com- to be the embryologic remnant of the cranial end posed of gelatinous and vascular connective tissue of the Mullerian or paramesonephric duct (2). It covered with a columnar epithelium (6). is present in more than 90% of males, it varies in The functions of testicular appendices are size from 1-10 mm in diameter and it is usually controversial, but they may control the amount pedunculated, which predisposes to torsion. It is of serous fluid within the space of the vaginal 240 IBJU | ANALYSIS OF TESTICULAR APPENDICES IN CRYPTORCHIDISM process (7). Another hypothesis suggests that the and epididymis; and Type VI - epididymal atresia. surface epithelium, subepithelial capillaries and Type I and II relations are considered normal whi- lymphatic vessels of testicular appendices form a le the other types are considered to be anatomical functional unit (8). Some studies have analyzed anomalies (12). To analyze the vaginal process we the embryology (9) and structure of the testicular considered two situations: (a) complete oblitera- and epididymal appendices (3,10). tion of the vaginal process between the internal Studies of the incidence of these structures inguinal ring and the superior pole of the testis; in patients with cryptorchidism and comparison and (b) complete patency of the vaginal process. with individuals without testicular position ano- In relation to the testicular appendices, malies are rare in the literature (11). There are no we analyzed the following situations in the two published studies analyzing the structure of testi- groups during the surgeries: I) absence of testi- cular appendices in patients with cryptorchidism. cular and epididymal appendices; II) presence of This work reports the incidence and struc- testicular appendix only; III) presence of epidi- ture of testicular appendices (TAs) in patients with dymal appendix only; IV) presence of testicu- cryptorchidism, comparing their incidence with lar and epididymal appendices; V) presence of epididymal anomalies and patency of the vaginal two epididymal appendices and one testicular process and analyzes the structure of testicular appendix; and VI) presence of paradidymis or appendices to assess whether their architecture is vas aberrans of Haller. altered when cryptorchidism is present. The appendices of 10 patients with cryp- torchidism and 8 patients with hydrocele were MATERIALS AND METHODS separated from the other structures and fixed in 10% buffered formalin, and routinely processed The present work received institutional re- for paraffin embedding. Then 5 μm thick sections view committee and parent approval and has been were obtained at 200 μm- intervals. Smooth mus- carried out in accordance to the ethical standards cle cells, connective tissue and elastic system fi- of the responsible institutional committee on hu- bers were studied by histochemical and immuno- man experimentation. labeling methods. We analyzed 72 testes from 55 patients The sections were stained with hemato- with cryptorchidism (17 with bilateral cryptorchi- xylin-eosin to assess the integrity of the tissue. dism) and compared them with a control group We performed the following stainings: Masson’s of 8 testes from patients with hydroceles. The trichrome, in order to quantify connective tissue patients with cryptorchidism had ages from 1 to and smooth muscle, and Weigert resorcin fucsin 13 years (average of 6 years), while those in the with previous oxidation in order to observe elas- control group ranged from 1 to 14 years old (ave- tic system fibers. Connective tissue, smooth mus- rage of 9 years). In the two groups, we analyzed cle cells and elastic system fibers were quantified the relations among the testis, epididymis and pa- by a digital method (14). Five sections per speci- tency of the vaginal process and the incidence and men were stained, and five fields of each section histology of the testicular appendices. were selected. All selected fields were photogra- To analyze the relations between the testis phed with an Olympus DP70 camera coupled to and epididymis during surgery, we used a previous an Olympus BX51 microscope. The images were classification (12,13). By this classification, there processed and saved with the Image Pro software. are six types of relations between the testis and The tissue was quantified using the Image J sof- epididymis: Type I - epididymis attached to the tware to determine the area density (Ad) of each testis at the head and tail; Type II - epididymis component (14). Immunolabeling was performed totally attached to the testis; Type III - epididymis to confirm the results. For smooth muscle cells attached to the testis only at the head; Type IV - (SMCs), Monoclonal Alfa Actin Antibody 08-0106 epididymis attached to the testis only at the tail; (Zymed Laboratories, San Francisco, CA, United Type V - no visible connection between the testis States) was used. To confirm the results for elastic 241 IBJU | ANALYSIS OF TESTICULAR APPENDICES IN CRYPTORCHIDISM fibers (EF), Monoclonal Elastin Antibody ab 9519 (87.5%), 1 (14.28%) had epididymal anomaly and (Abcam Laboratories, Cambridge, MA, United Sta- 1 (14.28%) had patent vaginal process. tes) was used. Of the 44 testes with cryptorchidism and Means were statistically compared using appendices, 30 (68.18%) presented patent vaginal the unpaired t-test and linear regression was per- process and 11 (25%) showed epididymal ano- formed when applicable. Statistical relevance was malies. Of the 28 testes with cryptorchidism and accepted if p < 0.05. without appendices, 11 (39.28%) presented patent vaginal process and 9 (32.14%) showed epididymal RESULTS anomalies. The relation between the type of testicu- lar appendix found and the patency of the vaginal Of the 72 testes with cryptorchidism, 7 process and the presence of epididymal anoma- were abdominal (9.7%), 54 (75%) were located in lies is shown in Table-2. There was no statistically the inguinal canal and 11 (15.3%) were supra-scro- significant difference in relation to the patency of tal. Of the testis with cryptorchidism, 20 (27.77%) vaginal process between the patients with cryptor- presented epididymal anomalies, 41 (56.9%) had chidism and appendices with the control group (p patent vaginal process and 44 (61.1%) had testi- = 0.053) and with the patients with cryptorchidism cular appendices. The prevalence of the testicular without appendices (p = 0.252). Also there was no appendices in the testis with cryptorchidism and statistically significant difference in relation to the their relation with the testicular position are re- epididimal anomalies between the patients with ported